


Pup

by daydreamsonacloudyday



Series: Isabel Cousland [28]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 03:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2636318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamsonacloudyday/pseuds/daydreamsonacloudyday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabel begins to call her son “Pup.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pup

It slips out when Isabel and Alistair take some time to spend with their son, watching him play with the mabari in the privacy of their rooms.

Duncan gets a little over excited, running too fast as he chases the dog, and for a brief moment Isabel panics. She envisions him tripping and falling, and the tears that would surely come after. Forcing herself to stay seated and remain composed, she utters a warning, her voice shrill.

"Be careful, Pup."

Her heart constricts in her chest when she processes the words that escaped her lips. Memories spring to the forefront of Isabel's mind; images of blood and death flash before her eyes, screams ring in her ears, echoes of goodbyes that never should have been said replaying in her mind. Her heart pounds against her chest, mouth dry as her breathing falters, and she's _there_ again, suffocating on smoke as her home burns around her.

Alistair jerks her back to the present when his fingers intertwine with hers, and she meets his gaze, concern in his amber eyes. She tries to push those thoughts away, focusing on his touch, his firm grip anchoring her to the present. Her skin tingles, the sensation rippling out from where he rubs the back of her hand with his thumb, a sense of calm settling over her.

The memories pass, and she focuses back on her son, who is thrilled at the nickname. It's "just like Bear," he says, and who doesn't want a nickname like the mabari that was by your parents' side when they saved the world? He's grinning, hazel eyes bright, and she can practically feel the excitement emanating from him. Warmth blooms in her chest at his merriment, and for the first time in years, Isabel starts to associate "Pup" with something joyful.

As time passes, the term becomes a constant in her vocabulary, until the day comes when the nickname slips past Alistair's lips as he ruffles Duncan's hair, praising him at a job well done. Duncan smiles and continues his task, but Alistair freezes, his eyes wide as they land on Isabel's.

A blush tinges his cheeks as he stares at her, afraid that he's crossed an unspoken line, but she just huffs, smiling at her husband as tears well in the corners of her eyes. The affection in his voice when he said the nickname reminds her of the way her father used to say it—with a softness in his eyes, regardless of whether he was scolding or praising her. Isabel knows Alistair loves their son with all his heart, but something about _hearing_ it when he called him "Pup" has her crying.

Alistair embraces her, stroking her hair and gently rubbing her back as tears roll down her cheeks. Fingers curling into his shirt as she holds him tight, her mind drifts to her family once again, and the love they all shared. She has that now, with her own little family, but that doesn't stop her from wishing things had been different. Her parents would have loved her husband and son just as fiercely as they loved her, and she would have given _anything_ to see the smiles on their faces when they met Alistair, or held their grandchild for the first time.

But the only place she'll ever see those smiles is in her imagination.


End file.
